This invention relates to an ice breaker and, more particularly, to a sea-going vessel provided with novel and unique means for cutting floating ice from below, in contrast to the usual practice of breaking floating ice from above.
Most conventional ice breakers are in the form of self-propelled vessels provided with sharp prows which are reinforced with heavy plating. The vessels usually are designed to break ice cutting or fracturing it with the sharp prow or, in some instances, by designing the prow so that the vessel will ride up on floating ice and break or shatter it by the weight of the vessel. While successful to some extent, such conventional ice breakers have their limitations, among them being an incapability of breaking and creating a channel through ice of great thickness. Moreover, such types of ice breakers normally must be extremely heavily powered to achieve the thrust necessary to break ice by the sharp prow either by cutting it or by riding over it as aforedescribed. Another disadvantage of conventional ice breakers is that the channel formed thereby normally is no wider than the beam of the vessel, so that several passes of the vessel must be made to form a channel to accommodate vessels having a beam wider than that of the ice breaker.
Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide an ice breaker in the form of a vessel which need not be excessively reinforced nor heavily powered.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved ice breaker which not only can make a channel through ice, but also can make a channel considerably wider than the beam of the ice breaker.
It is another object of this invention to provide a novel ice breaker which not only will accomplish the afore-described objects but also can be constructed and operated economically.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which: